Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

On Tuesday, September 27, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a summit meeting at the Prime Minister's Office with H.E. Mr. Benigno S. Aquino III, President of the Republic of the Philippines for about 45 minutes from 6 p.m. The overview is as follows. (Attending on the Philippines side were the Hon. Albert F. Del Rosario, Secretary of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Manuel M. Lopez, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Japan; the Hon. Manuel A. Roxas II, Secretary of Transportation and Communication, President, Liberal Party of the Philippines; the Hon. Cesar V. Purisima, Secretary of Finance; and the Hon. Gregory L. Domingo, Secretary of Trade and Industry. Attending on the Japan side were Mr. Hiroyuki Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Akihisa Nagashima, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister; Mr. Izumi Yoshida, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance; and Mr. Toshinao Urabe, Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines; among others.)

At the start of the summit meeting, Prime Minister Noda expressed his gratitude for the assistance extended by the Government of the Philippines and its people in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and for the visit by President Aquino to a disaster-affected area (Ishinomaki City) on September 26. In response, President Aquino expressed his condolences to the victims of the earthquake and their families. He also stated his confidence that Japan would recover soon.

Concerning bilateral relations, both leaders confirmed that the both countries share basic values, market economy, and strategic interests and that they position the relations between the two countries as "strategic partnership".

1) In the economic field, Prime Minister Noda stated that Japan would continue to contribute to the economic development of the Republic of the Philippines through the improvement of infrastructure and the investment environment. President Aquino affirmed his strong commitment to improving the business environment. The two leaders welcomed the smooth implementation and operation of the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines for an Economic Partnership (JPEPA) and decided to continue consultations in order to further improve the acceptance of candidates for qualified nurses and certified careworkers. President Aquino expressed his gratitude for the assistance that Japan has extended to the Republic of the Philippines, to which Prime Minister Noda replied that Japan would continue its assistance to the Republic of the Philippines as an important ODA target country.

2) In terms of the political and security fields, the two leaders decided to frequently hold summit/ministerial meetings, convene multi-layered policy dialogues, including Vice-Ministerial Strategic Dialogue which was decided to establish, and strengthen exchange and cooperation between maritime safety authorities and defense authorities. Prime Minister Noda stated his wish to continue active support for peace in Mindanao. President Aquino expressed his appreciation for Japan's contributions so far and expressed his strong commitment to the achievement of peace.

3) Concerning people-to-people exchange, the two leaders confirmed the importance of youth exchanges, with Prime Minister Noda stating that Japan would invite 400 Filipino college students to Japan next year as "Philippine-Tohoku Goodwill Ambassadors".

Regarding regional and international issues, the two leaders confirmed that they would actively contribute to regional cooperation frameworks, and confirmed that they would closely collaborate with each other especially in the run-up to the East Asia Summit in November. The two leaders also had an exchange of views on issues faced by the region and the international community such as the South China Sea and North Korea, in which they shared the recognition that the abduction issue by North Korea is a serious violation of human rights.